I noticed that as well. In the end it just comes to show how much influence Gerrard wields at the club that even a season professional like Kolo Toure takes it in.

One of the commentators made an interesting comment last night. After we had gone 5 up, a section of the Arsenal fans were still singing, prompting the commentator to commend them for their support rather than being travelling critics. I'd dare say our travelling Kop is cut from the same cloth.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Feb 9 2014, 03:11 PM

Good read this.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/Just...ce#.UvbgBMsZ7qA

Rodgers still has his critics but look how far we've come under him so far. Criticised for lousy signings this season which only reinforces the fact that he's taken the same squad a step forward at least as other teams had reinforced during the summer transfer window.

Keep it up Brendan.

Regardless of who was right and who was wrong, it's nice to see Kolo showing the club captain a lot of respect and getting on with it instead of arguing. The pair exchanged words later on and all was good.

There was another at 3 or 4 nil. "Arsenal are still on the bus".

Brilliant read.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/...-champions.html

In David Moyes, to say that he's under severe pressure is an understatement. Anyone taking the reigns of a team which has garnered his much success under one of the games greatest managers would be having sleepless nights. Moyes inherited a squad that was still reliant on old warhorses like Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Rio Ferdinand. Didn't help that another season pro in Vidic was crocked. Ultimately, the next generation of players in Cleverly, Fellaini and Phil Jones have not filled their shoes. Could do with a bit of reinforcing. Fitting Fellaini into the squad has been like fitting a square peg into a round hole. It is a transition period and Moyes is on a 6 year contract so I suspect the board will give him at least another season. Some will point to the fact that Moyes inherited a title winning squad but in fact, he also inherited an ageing one.

Indeed. When Shankly resigned, he would still visit Melwood and players would still call him, "boss", undermining the authority of Bob Paisley. It was a tough call but the board had to tell Shankly to stay away and as much as the great man had done for the club, it was probably the right decision. That still couldn't keep him away though as he was spotted at the Kop End as the team were playing and fans around the stadium started chanting his name. He was quoted as saying it was where he felt he belonged. RIP Shanks. Fergie needs to watch from afar at least for the time being until the transition period is over.

You're right to say that Rodgers isn't arrogant but he does exude confidence. I like listening to his interviews because based on how he conducts himself alone, you couldn't tell that he is a relatively inexperienced manager. The great Arthur Ashe was once quoted as saying, "the key to confidence is preparation", and you get a sense that Rodgers is always prepared for any questions that come his way. He's also a pretty witty guy as evident from his jibe at Fergie's comment that Gerrard is not a top, top player. Rodgers, in an interview described Gerrard as being a "top, top, top, top, top player" with a wry smile on his face.

Here are some Brendan Rodgers quotes I like :-

“You train dogs, I like to educate players.”

“I will leave no stone unturned in my quest – and that quest will be relentless.”

“I believe a young player will run through a barbed wire fence for you. An older player looks for a hole in the fence.”

“The problem with being a manager is it’s like trying to build an aircraft while it is flying.”

”We play with 11 men, other teams play with 10 men and a goalkeeper.”

In terms of football tactics, we sometimes need to appreciate that despite being a relatively young manager, Rodgers has been exposed to football all around Europe. Like you've quite rightly pointed out, he has been making adjustments and changes to the squad, formation and tactics when necessary. Converting Gerrard to a deeper role was something I wanted to see happen early in the season because it is a big plus for us to have a good distributor from the back and Lucas is limited in this department. His first game in that position was a disaster but playing in a new role can take a bit of adapting to. Aside from the penalty he gave away against Arsenal he was brilliant.

He has proven to be a good coach in my opinion. Not only is Gerrard looking rejuvenated, the likes of Sterling, Flanagan, Coutinho and Sturridge are flourishing despite struggling early in their careers at some point. Last season he brought the best out of Enrique who suffered a dip in form and Downing. I stood by him when we were struggling last season because I could see the positives he was bringing to the team and I stand by him now (of course it's easier this season). I've never said this even about Rafa Benitez but I do believe Rodgers is the man to steer us towards the holy grail. I don't like talking up managers but I really do have great admiration for the man after initial doubts when he was first unveiled.

A short trip down memory lane to Rodger's 1st interview. Let's see if he's lived up to what he had said. Summarised to focus on points I think are key:-

Not doing that good defensively. We are joint 6th for best defensive record in the league. 10 away from Chelsea but only 4 away from the 2nd best defensive record in the league so it isn't that bad. We've only scored 5 goals less than City but 16 more than anyone else. This is impressive.

Brendan Rodgers FTW.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Feb 10 2014, 11:59 AM

If anything, players under Rodgers can never complain that they were never given an opportunity. I think we used our whole complement of players last season. Everyone got a chance. Suso for example, was a regular early in the season but was eventually benched after several average performances. Yes, I know people are talking up Suso and he's having a great time in Spain but I have to call it like I see it, and despite being a promising player, I feel he was only average when he was last in the first team.

I don't feel an ounce of pity for them for the reasons you've just stated. It's comical to see them up in arms and moaning about the abuse they've been receiving. Hey if you dish it out, you best make sure you can take it. To compound matters, they would not miss an opportunity to stick it to us in particular even if they weren't playing against us.

They should make Fergie buy his own ticket from now on.

I think it's safe to say that 4th place is ours to lose. If we maintain our home form, we should be in a good place come end of the season. Away draws against the likes of WBA are disheartening but these are games we used to lose. Not saying we should be content with a point away from home especially against mid-table sides but getting a result while playing ugly was never something we were particularly good at. Arsenal's next few games will really test their mettle.

We've fielded the same starting 11 for 3 consecutive games. Rodgers has already lamented the lack of reinforcements so fingers crossed, injuries don't take it's toll on the team.

Well I was hoping for a top 6 finish based on last season and I'm not about to get carried away. A few posters have pointed out that on paper, we aren't a top four contender but Rodgers and the team have thus far defied any notion that we aren't a side to be taken lightly. I think it's important not to have our expectations fluctuate too frequently. Whilst my expectations remain, I can't quite say the same about my hopes

There are a number of fans who expected a top four finish but based on the assumption that we would reinforce the side which we haven't for one reason or other. Given this, a Champions League spot would be a massive achievement. Sure, the mancs have gone off the pace a little but Everton were the last Premiership side to be beaten and they've gone from strength to strength under Martinez. Spurs are also in with a shout. The competition has gotten stiffer.

Squad depth is something we've been lamenting for awhile now. I mean even when Rafa won the holy grail of European football back in 2005, we didn't have too much quality on the bench. We had to field Harry Kewell who had just returned from a lengthy layoff and we had to call upon Djibril Cisse. Who else did we have? Igor Biscan, Salif Diao, Smicer, La Tallec, Mellor, Flo Po? Not much different from what we have now in terms of quality.

The problem is that to have a quality bench, you need to make it worthwhile for quality players to spend time there and to me this means offering Champions League football or a healthy wage packet. Man City can field 2 first teams but look at the combined worth of their players and their salaries. We've been signing young and loan players in hope that they can rise to the occasion when called upon. We simply cannot underestimate the appeal of European football. Even if we do manage to unearth quality gems as squad players, how long before they are poached by a bigger side offering Champions League football and an opportunity at silverware? I reckon that if we can cement a place in the top four and remain contenders until the end of the season, we'll have an easier time adding quality to the bench.

I don't think the issue is as much about player fatigues as it is about injuries. You can be fit as a horse but an ACL injury for example would floor Superman. If the first teamers stay fit, we have reason to be optimistic.

Well that's subjective as of now. I mean he's become an integral member of the first team and since Coutinho has been filling the advanced central midfield role, he's had to play further back with Gerrard.

Hendo may not be worth the 20 mil we forked out for him yet but he's shown a marked improvement in his game and that counts for something. You don't get many midfielders these days that show competency on both ends of the pitch, playing different roles. Suffice to say, there is no one in the team right now who can fill his shoes. In the world? Sure.

I think Rodgers has done a good job at getting the best out of the player we have by playing them to their strengths and minimising exposure of their weaknesses. Cissokho in particular has been earning some plaudits for his performances over the last 2 or 3 games. Why? When he first signed for us, he was seen as a direct replacement for Enrique, meaning that he had to spend a fair amount of time in the opposition half where I think it's safe to say, he's had a less than successful time. His ball control and passing is average at best and his dribbling is mediocre. Hence why we don't see him venture forward quite as frequently. To compensate for the lack of width, Rodgers has had the front 4 take turns to drift out wide.

If you forget about price tags for awhile (which isn't really Rodgers' fault), the manager has done a pretty good job at getting the best out of each and every player

I do understand that there's still room for improvement especially in the area of achieving some degree of consistency. Having said that, we have to acknowledge that Anfield has become a fortress again, has it not? Whilst there is still some way to go, I see nothing wrong with giving the manager a pat on the back for doing a good job thus far, even if it means eating humble pie. How many honestly thought we would lead the league at any point this season and still be in contention for the league title at this stage of the competition? If Rodgers continues to keep is at arms length despite having no reinforcements in January, it would be an achievement of sorts. By this time last year, we were miles behind and eventually finished over 20 points from the summit. We're not just 6 points away. Improvement much? Still, the manager gets criticised for being naive and tactically inept. I don't see why we can't appreciate what he's done so far even if we think the journey isn't over? He has so far lived up to everything he's said and the positives far outweigh the negatives. The fact that the team has improved is evidence that the manager himself has improved, no? Isn't this what we want to see? Constant improvement?

To be fair, he was crap at the beginning but more so on the attacking half of the pitch where he would always lose the ball, fail to control it and misplace passes. This is why it's been said that BR is good at bringing the best out of players, even average ones. It was key that he reduced the burden of getting forward on Cissokho as it was clearly not one of his strengths. His tackling and defending on the other hand have been decent to good.

I agree which is why I posted pretty much what you've just said. Flanagan gets forward more often and could have bagged a goal against Arsenal had be been more composed and dinked the ball over the keeper instead of trying to play it through his legs. He's already scored a pretty impressive goal this season. He's improved a lot offensively from when I first watched him. Like I said, Brendan knows how to get the best out of his players, even if they are average at best.

Indeed. Has anyone watched the movie "Green Street"? It's about West Ham's hooligans. Blokes travel to games in tubes armed with knives, machetes, steel pipes, bats, you name it. There was an encounter between them an supporters of Millwall, a place no one wants to travel to. The Den is known for violent scuffles. Last time we played there, chairs were being tossed about between both sets of supporters. Should watch the movie if you haven't.